Another one slipped away

The Rams showed up to the stadium ready play on Sunday, the Seahawks never really showed up.

I have to tip my cap to the entire Rams organization on their victory. The Seahawks didn’t play well, they were not well coached, but that should not take away from the fact that the Rams came to play on Sunday, and they did what they needed to do to get the big win.

Now, I am left sitting here trying to pick through the crap fest of a game on Sunday to find 5 stand out players. Spoiler alert, none of them will be from the offensive passing game.

Marshawn Lynch #24

For the second time in the last three games, Marshawn Lynch ran for over 100-yards.

Marshawn now leads all running backs in the NFL with 423-yards through the first 4 games.

Marshawn Lynch had a big game against St. Louis, continuing his impressive streak of play in 2012 (Photo: Seattlepi.com)

On Monday, Lynch added 118-yards rushing and 37-yards receiving to his season totals. He scored the only offensive touchdown of the game, by either team. Add it all up, Marshawn accounted for 49% of the Seahawks offensive yards and 46% of the teams points. How could I not include him?

Leon Washington #33

As a return man, it is Leon Washington’s job to secure field position and to create a spark for the Seahawks team when they need it. On Sunday Leon had a 69-yard kick return when his team needed that spark.

Unfortunately, two plays later, Russell Wilson was hit as he threw the ball and it was intercepted. I thought that the new kickoff rules had minimized Leon’s value but, after a little bit of a lull last year, he seems to have figured out how to adjust and is now getting the big returns.

Bobby Wagner #54

Those numbers are nothing spectacular. What impresses me is that 3 of those 7 tackles were on the ball carrier, behind the line of scrimmage.

When he was drafted by the Seahawks, I really liked the fact that he was patient and maintained gap integrity. With the coaching of Ken Norton Jr., Bobby has learned how to maintain his gap responsibilities while getting into the backfield to disrupt the plays, when the opportunities present themselves.

Jason Jones #90

Jason Jones was brought to Seattle during free agency for one purpose. The Seahawks were in desperate need of a player who could get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks from the middle of the line. Too often last season, quarterbacks were able to step up into the pocket to avoid the pressure that was coming off the edge.

It is not all about sack numbers, though he was able to sack Sam Bradford on Sunday, it is about driving the pocket back. If quarterbacks do not have a clean pocket in front of them, it is hard for them to step up and deliver the ball accurately.

Brandon Mebane #92

On Sunday, Brandon Mebane closed out what is arguably the best 4-game stretch of his career with a 5 solo tackle performance. Two of those five tackles were running plays for a loss of yards. Brandon is a big reason why Steven Jackson is still searching for his first 100-yard game against a Seahawks defense.

To be honest, the entire front seven deserve credit for holding one of the best running backs in football, Steven Jackson, to 55-yards on 18-carries.

The Seattle Seahawks will need to clean up the 3rd down defense, as well as offense, if they hope to be anything more then the .500 team that they currently are.

I’m not saying that “the sky is falling,” what I am saying, is that you cannot consistently win in the NFL if you do not handle you business on third down.

In wins, the Seahawks hold a 22% higher 3rd down efficiency rating than their opponent. In losses, they trail the opponent by an efficiency average of 7%.